“Could he be the one who wrote Emily that note?” Benny asked. “J?”
“I wonder,” said Jessie, stopping in her tracks to think.
“How could we find out?” Violet asked, her voice quiet but urgent. “We asked Emily, and she said he was just a visitor.”
“What do we know about J?” Jessie asked quickly.
“He wanted Emily to go to Wilson’s for a secret plan,” said Henry.
“And he has neat handwriting,” said Violet.
“That’s it!” Jessie said excitedly.
“What?” the others asked.
“I have an idea,” Jessie said. “I’ll tell you later.”
The Aldens caught up with Emily in front of the Penguin House. She led them in through a door marked EMPLOYEES ONLY.
“Here,” Emily said, taking bright blue jackets from a closet and handing them to the children.
“What are these for?” asked Benny. “It’s hot outside.”
“But it’s cold in the penguins’ tank,” Emily said.
“Remember, they’re from Antarctica, so they like it cold.”
A burst of cold air flew out when Emily opened the door to the penguin enclosure. The Aldens were glad they’d put the jackets on. In front of them, the penguins stood in groups along the banks of a pool of water. The wall opposite the door they’d entered was glass, allowing visitors to look in. The Aldens could see a crowd gathered on the far side of the glass. Benny waved to them, a big smile on his face.
Emily had brought in some buckets of fish. The penguins crowded around her, eager for food. She gave each of the Aldens some raw fish, which they tossed to the hungry penguins.
“How cute they are!” said Jessie.
“I love the way they waddle,” Violet said.
Once the penguins had eaten, some dived into the water and swam around, paddling with their short wings.
“I’m getting cold,” Violet said.
“Me, too,” Emily agreed. “Let’s get going.”
“I think it’s feeding time for humans now,” Benny said, and they all laughed.
Emily walked the Aldens to the snack bar, then left to do her afternoon dolphin show. As they munched on their hot dogs and fries, Henry said, “Jessie, you said you had an idea about how to find out if the man in the baseball cap is J. What is it?”
“First I need a pad of paper,” Jessie said. She began to dig in her backpack.
“What are you going to do?” Henry asked.
“You’ll see,” said Jessie. A moment later, she pulled out a large yellow pad and a pen. She turned to a blank page and began to write. The others crowded around her to see what she was writing.
At the top of the page Jessie printed, SAVE THE MANATEES! in large, bold letters.
Underneath she wrote neatly, “Our government needs to pass laws to limit the use of motorized boats, in order to protect the endangered manatees.”
Beneath that she signed her name and wrote her address. Then she handed the pad to Henry.
“What’s this?” he asked.
“It’s a petition,” Jessie said. “To save the manatees. We’ll send it to the governor.”
“That’s very nice,” Henry said, “but what does it have to do with J?”
“You’ll see,” Jessie said mysteriously. “Just sign it, please.”
When they had all signed their names, Jessie tucked the pad into her backpack. She looked at her watch. “If we want the plan to work, we’d better get going.”
“Where?” Violet asked.
“To the Dolphin Arena,” Jessie said.
They arrived just as Emily’s show was ending. Jessie led the others to a bench outside the entrance. “I hope he’s here,” she muttered to herself, watching the crowds file out of the arena. She stepped forward and showed her pad to several people, who eagerly signed the petition. “Where is he?” Jessie muttered under her breath.
“Who?” asked Benny.
“The man in the baseball cap,” Jessie said.
“How do you know he’ll be here?” asked Violet.
“Just a hunch,” said Jessie. “I think he likes Emily’s shows.”
They did not have to wait long. Soon a familiar man in a blue baseball cap emerged from the arena.
Jessie approached him quickly her pad and pen in her hand. “Excuse me, sir,” she said politely handing the pad to him. “Would you sign my petition and put your address?”
The man smiled at Jessie. “Let me take a look,” he said. He quickly read what Jessie had written.
“Sure, I’ll sign,” he said agreeably, taking the pen and writing his name and address.
“Thanks,” said Jessie.
As the man walked away, Jessie glanced at the pad and then went back to where the others were sitting. She had a big grin on her face.
“We’ve gotten lots of signatures to help the manatees,” Jessie said, pleased her plan had worked. She held the pad out to the others. “Best of all, we’ve found J.”
CHAPTER 8
The Secret Plan
THE Aldens all looked at the petition Jessie had made. There, at the bottom of the page, was the name John Quinn, along with an address. It was written in the same neat handwriting that had been on Emily’s note.
“So if he’s the one who wrote the note,” Henry said, “Emily does know him—and pretty well, it seems. So why was she pretending she didn’t?”
“I’m worried about what the ‘secret plan’ at Wilson’s was,” said Jessie.
“They couldn’t be the burglars,” Violet cried. “I just can’t believe that.”
“I agree,” said Jessie. “But then why do all the clues point to Emily?”
“What clues?” asked Emily, who had just then come up to the Aldens without their noticing.
“You didn’t rob Wilson’s, Emily, did you?” Benny burst out.
Emily looked surprised. “Rob the jewelry store? What are you talking about?”
The children looked at one another, their faces pink with embarrassment. No one knew what to say.
Finally, Jessie began, “Well, we found a card key near the store, and you lost yours, and you didn’t want anyone to know.”
“And then on the back of that piece of paper yesterday was a note leading us to Wilson’s, and it mentioned a secret plan,” Henry said.
“And then we figured out who J was, but you kept saying you didn’t know him,” Violet put in.
“But you didn’t really do it, did you?” Benny asked.
Emily had been listening to the children quietly. Suddenly she burst into laughter. “Oh, my goodness, you are detectives, just as your grandfather said. I guess I have been acting a little strange lately, but I can explain. Hold on a minute.”
Emily walked away and came back a moment later with the man in the baseball cap. “I guess I should have introduced you guys sooner. This is John,” she said. “And these are the Aldens.”
The Aldens said hello.
“John is my … fiancé,” Emily said, taking his hand. She and John smiled at each other.
“Your what?” asked Benny.
“John and I are going to get married,” Emily explained. “But I haven’t told anyone here yet.”
“That’s such wonderful news,” Violet said. “Why not share it?”
“Remember, I told you Ms. Carver said I wasn’t focusing enough on my work?” Emily said. “Well, I didn’t want her to think I have my mind on John instead. So when I’m at work, I try to pretend he’s just a regular visitor, instead of my fiancé. I don’t want to lose my job.”
“But I just can’t stay away,” John said, putting an arm around Emily. “I love watching Emily work.”
“What was that note all about?” Jessie asked.
“Oh, that,” said Emily. “When John and I had decided to get engaged, he left that note for me to follow—like a treasure hunt.”
“We love those,” said Benny.
Emily glowed with pleasure as she told the ch
ildren what had happened. “It was fun. I followed the directions and found myself at Wilson’s, where we picked out the most beautiful diamond ring.” She and John smiled at each other.
“So the engagement was your secret plan,” said Jessie.
“Why did you want the note back?” Henry asked.
“I’m going to put it in my scrapbook to remember always,” Emily explained. “When I realized I’d accidentally given it to you, I was so upset.”
“Can we see the ring you picked?” asked Violet.
“It’s still at the store, being sized to fit my finger,” Emily said. “That’s why I was worried when you told me that the diamond jewelry had been stolen.”
“I stopped by yesterday,” John told Emily reassuringly. “Mr. Wilson said your ring is safe.”
“So that’s why you were there,” said Benny.
“Emily, maybe you lost your key when you were ring-shopping,” Jessie suggested.
“No, the key you found wasn’t mine,” Emily said. “It didn’t have my initials on it.”
“Why not just get another key from Ms. Carver until yours turns up?” asked Henry.
“If Ms. Carver knew I’d lost my key, she’d take that as proof I wasn’t paying enough attention to my work,” Emily said.
“Now that we’ve answered all your questions, how about explaining that petition?” John said.
“Oh, that,” Jessie said. “We thought you might be the one who’d written the note to Emily. I figured I could help the manatees—and also see your name and handwriting.” Jessie smiled, proud of her plan.
“Very clever,” said John.
“But we still don’t know whose key we found,” said Henry.
“Or who robbed the jewelry store,” Benny added.
“But at least we know you’re not the burglar,” Violet told Emily.
“No, I’m an animal trainer,” she said, smiling broadly. “And I’d better get back to work.” She gave John a quick kiss good-bye and headed back into the arena. John waved to the kids and walked off.
“At least part of the mystery is solved,” said Violet.
“Let’s go see if Mac has heard from Ms. Carver,” suggested Henry, leading the way to the shark area.
When they got there, they were surprised to find not only Mac, but also Ms. Carver.
“I have some exciting news,” she said. “We’re bringing a new attraction to the park—an orca.”
“But that’s impossible!” Mac said.
“What’s an orca?” asked Benny.
“It’s a killer whale,” Mac said. “They’re huge—bigger than the great white shark. We don’t have a tank big enough—“
Ms. Carver just smiled more and more broadly the whole time Mac was talking. Finally she interrupted him. “Don’t worry, I’m not talking about an animal. I’m talking about a roller coaster.”
“A roller coaster?” Mac said.
“Yes,” Ms. Carver said. “It will be black and white, to look like an orca. I can see the posters now: ‘Try Orca—It’s a Whale of a Ride!’”
“That sounds great,” said Henry.
“We love roller coasters,” Jessie agreed.
Mac looked as if he didn’t like the idea. “But this park has always been about animals, not carnival rides.”
“We’ve got to change with the times, Mac,” Ms. Carver told him.
“How are you planning to pay for this new ride when we can’t even fix up the animals’ tanks?” Mac asked.
“That’s the whole point,” Ms. Carver said. “The Orca will bring in more visitors, and that will raise money to fix up the rest of the park.”
“But first you’ll need money to build the ride,” Mac pointed out. “How are you going to raise that?”
“I have my ways,” Ms. Carver said mysteriously. “I’ll worry about the money and you just worry about the animals.” And with that, she walked away.
“That’s exactly what I am worried about,” Mac said softly to himself. Mac turned to the kids. “It’s feeding time—want to help?”
“Sure,” said Henry.
Jessie ran to put her backpack in Mac’s office so it wouldn’t get wet. Mac picked up several buckets of raw fish and handed one to each of the Aldens.
The children followed Mac to the shark tank. For a change, Benny led the way, eager to see the sharks. As they walked, Henry said to Jessie, “How do you think Ms. Carver is planning to raise the money?”
“That’s just what I was wondering,” Jessie said. “Do you think it has anything to do with stolen diamonds?”
The children stopped talking as they arrived at the shark tank. Like the day before, they tossed handfuls of fish into the water. Suddenly they heard a loud thump coming from the great white’s tank.
“Oh, no,” Mac said, putting down his bucket and running over there.
“What was that?” Henry asked as he and the other children followed Mac.
Mac was standing by the tank, watching the great white shark swim. He looked worried.
“What happened?” asked Jessie.
“I was afraid this was going to happen,” Mac said. “Remember I told you great whites don’t do well in aquariums? They are extremely sensitive to electrical charges. The metal parts of the tank give off an electrical charge, and that can affect a shark’s swimming. Other great whites in captivity have had this problem, too—they start bumping into the walls.”
“What’s going to happen?” asked Violet.
“I don’t know,” Mac said. “I think the only answer is to return this shark to the ocean. But you heard how Ms. Carver feels about it.” Mac sighed. “Come on, let’s rinse and put away the buckets.”
The Aldens walked with Mac to the supply shed, where he unlocked the door with his card key. When everything was put away, Henry asked if there was anything else they could do.
“No, thanks,” Mac said. “I’ve got some thinking to do.” He looked very depressed, and the children decided they should go.
“I just have to get my backpack out of your office and then we’ll go,” Jessie told Mac.
Mac walked with Jessie to his office while the others stood by the tank, watching the sharks.
Mac tossed his card key onto his desk. “I’ll see you later,” he said, walking quickly out of the office, as Jessie hoisted her backpack onto her back.
Poor Mac, Jessie thought. She glanced at the card key on the desk. At least we know he isn’t the one who lost his card key at Wilson’s.
But as she began to walk out, she realized something that made her stop. Something about Mac’s card was different. She turned back to the desk and looked at it again.
Something was written on the corner of the card. Jessie picked up the card to look at it more closely. There, in the corner, were the letters EB, handwritten with a pen.
EB? Jessie thought. What does that stand for? They weren’t Mac Brody’s initials. That would be MB.
EB … Emily Ballard! Jessie realized suddenly. Emily had said she’d written her initials on her card key. This must be it. That explained why Emily hadn’t been able to find hers—Mac had it.
But what was he doing with it?
Was he using Emily’s because he’d lost his own at Wilson’s?
Jessie quickly laid the key on Mac’s desk. Should she ask Mac about it?
No, she didn’t want him to think she’d been poking around on his desk looking at his personal things. And anyway what would she say to him? Did you take Emily’s card? She couldn’t say that.
She’d have to tell her sister and brothers. Together they’d figure out what to do.
Jessie hurried out to where the others were standing, watching the sharks in the tank.
They seemed to be studying something.
“What are you looking at?” Jessie asked.
Violet turned around. “I just remembered that when we were here yesterday, I noticed something strange.” She pointed into the tank.
“See how all the rocks ha
ve algae on them?”
“Yes,” Jessie said.
“Now look at those rocks over there.” Violet pointed to the other side of the tank.
The rocks where Violet was pointing were perfectly clean.
“That’s strange,” Jessie said.
“It is,” Violet agreed. “As if those rocks were just recently added.”
“But why would someone have just added them?” Jessie asked.
“I don’t know,” Violet said.
Benny and Henry had walked to the other side of the tank, to see if they could find anything else unusual. Suddenly Benny shouted, “There’s something behind the rocks! Come look!”
Jessie and Violet ran over. They looked where their brother was pointing. Sharks swam by, still grabbing at the fish that had been tossed into the tank for their dinner. But then the area cleared, and she saw it. Squeezed behind the rocks was a dark blue bag.
“A bag,” Henry said.
“That would explain why those new rocks were added,” Jessie said. “To hide that bag.”
“What’s in the bag?” Violet asked. “Why would it need to be hidden?”
“I don’t know,” said Henry, “but I think we need to find out.”
“It’s a hidden treasure!” Benny shouted.
“Maybe it’s just … I don’t know, something for the fish,” said Violet.
“Could be,” said Jessie. “Or maybe it’s a bag of diamond jewelry.”
“Do you really think that?” Violet asked.
“Well, listen to this.” Jessie told the others about the card key she’d found on Mac’s desk.
“So you think Mac stole the jewelry and hid it in the tank?” asked Violet. “And he borrowed Emily’s card key so no one would know he’d lost his at Wilson’s?”
“Looks that way,” said Jessie.
“But he’s such a nice man,” said Violet.
“It is hard to think of him as a thief,”
Henry agreed. “But it makes sense. It all depends on what’s in the bag.”
“How do we find out?” asked Benny. “Jump in the tank with all those sharks?”
“They just had their dinner, so they probably wouldn’t eat you,” Violet joked, putting her arm around Benny.
“Very funny,” Benny grumbled.